Sunday, April 17, 2011

It has been some time since I lasted posted, but I will attempt to remedy this.

This morning I was reading the Daily Telegraph and read something interesting about how the Coalition is seeking to harmonise food labelling requirements. Now the piece itself was not particularly extraordinary. What was though was the comments underneath. It would appear that some bright spark had trawled Google to find the EU Directive on food labelling standards and promptly used it as a weapon in order to further his own ends.

Nothing very new in that. However the lack of understanding for the legislative process outside of any specialisms in academia was brought to bare in all its ignorant glory. A simple note attached to the link was that the EU has complete and utter legislative control over the UK and its competences within this area. Now although some of that is correct it rather misses the issue that a Directive is not a Regulation. For most of us this is a dull and tedious point - "who the heck cares?" Well I do. It is important to know the difference between your apples and your oranges, so why don't you know the difference between secondary legislative acts of the most powerful club politically you belong to?

Primarily the Directive is to be implemented in the best way possible with a sensitivity becoming of that particular Member State. The guidelines are set out, now follow them as closely as possible. Looking at a Regulation, you've got no choice, it is immediately entered into the Statute Books without molestation. So far so good?

It has been well documented as to the UK 'wasting' its time and precious resources (read money) on such a folly as the EU. Never is there any mention of the roads and schools and university buildings which are partly funded by the EU through its development funds. Never do we assess the say we get round in the Commission or the Council of Ministers. Does anyone in England actually understand what any of these institutions do? I suppose not.

One day I'll read something good about the Union, but I dare say it won't be from the UK press. C'est la vie!